21 April 2005 Edition

Finucanes call for boycott

The widow of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has written to every
senior judicial figure in England, Wales and Scotland asking them not to sit
on an inquiry into her husband's 1989 killing.

Geraldine Finucane wrote personally to every senior judge in Britain asking
them to refuse to accept any appointment to sit on an inquiry and to reject
the controversial new Inquiries Act.

Under the act, which became law after being pushed through by the British
Government last week, ministers have the right to decide if some evidence
can be heard behind closed doors.

Despite pressing for a public inquiry for years, Finucane believes the terms
of the Act could prevent the truth of her husband's killing in 1989, and
allegations of British involvement in colluding with loyalist paramilitaries
in the killing, coming out.

In her letter, Geraldine Finucane said: "In view of these considerations, I
write to request that if approached to serve on an Inquiries Act inquiry
into my husband's murder, you, like Lord Saville and Judge Cory, refuse to
accept such an appointment."

The Finucane family have said they will not cooperate with the inquiry into
the solicitor's killing under the new legislation.

Public inquiries into the deaths of Pat Finucane and three other people were
recommended by retired Canadian High Court Judge Peter Cory in 2002, in
which he said there was strong evidence of collusion.

NIO minister Paul Murphy warned that some of the evidence would have to be
heard in private due to security concerns, but Cory said the Act would make
a "meaningful inquiry impossible" and advised other Canadian judges not to
sit on such an inquiry into the solicitor's death.

Finucane said she felt she should make judges very aware of what was
happening.

"The best way to sum up the Inquiries Act is that the word public does not
appear in the title," said Finucane.

Government has no confidence in British Inquiries Act

Responding to a Dáil Question from Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin on
Wednesday, Bertie Ahern stated that the Dublin Government has no confidence
in the Inquiries Act, one of the last pieces of legislation passed by the
British Government before the Westminster parliament was dissolved for the
General Election.

"Can the Taoiseach confirm that he raised with the British Prime Minister
Tony Blair the total unacceptability of this Act to the Irish people?" asked
Ó Caoláin. He said the Act "would allow a British Minister to effectively
gag an inquiry and is designed to prevent any real inquiries into the murder
of Pat Finucane and others as a result of collusion". He pointed out that
Judge Peter Cory has stated that the Act "would make a meaningful inquiry
impossible" and would create "an intolerable Alice in Wonderland situation".

Ó Caolain asked the Taoiseach to echo the call of the Finucane family to
every senior judge in Britain not to serve on any inquiry established under
the Act.

While the Taoiseach did not make that call, he stated that his government
had raised objections to the Act with the British but only some of their
proposed amendments had been adopted. He said they did not have confidence
in the Act as now passed.